Day 17: Burgos to Hornillos

Today was a pretty easy day of hiking, just over 13 miles. Anywhere from 12-15 miles seems to be the sweet spot where I feel like I’m making progress, yet I’m not completely wiped out at the end of the day. The weather was perfect…low 60s when I set out this morning, to mid 70s by mid afternoon.

Today was also where the Meseta portion of the Camino begins. The Meseta is basically the inland plains of the Iberian Peninsula where the landscape is largely flat and is primarily used for agriculture. It’ll take about 10 days to get across this portion. I’ve heard it said that the first 1/3 of the Camino (which I’ve just finished) is where your body adjusts to the demands of the Camino, but the Meseta is where you develop the mental discipline to handle the monotony of mile after mile of sameness.

Every church bell tower has these huge nests atop them. I learned that they are White Storks’ nests.
A monastery in Rabé de la Calzada
Meseta landscape
More Meseta. Once out of Burgos, this was my view for most of the day.
The start of the descent into Hornillos. As the sign says, this descent is called “Mata Mulos”, literally “mule killer”. I don’t have a mule, but my knees and ankles were not thrilled with this!
Beef stew and sangria! This was noteworthy because it’s the only beef stew I’ve ever had that is as good as mine!

One response to “Day 17: Burgos to Hornillos”

  1. budrosenstromyahoocom Avatar
    budrosenstromyahoocom

    Or, it could be mile after mile of serenity. I’m loving these pictures especially the architecture. Keep on truckin’.

    Liked by 1 person

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